Chandigarh: Demonetisation and Infighting seems to be hurting AAP badly. In another major accusation on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its leader Arvind Kejriwal ahead of the crucial assembly elections in Punjab, a party candidate has alleged that he was asked to pay Rs 1 crore.

Vinod alleged that he has been told by top AAP leader Sanjay Singh and Durgesh Pathak to deposit Rs 1 crore as party fund or sit back home. He made this exposure at a news conference here in the evening. Bhoa is in Pathankot district. He further added that they demanded the huge amount from him after he was allotted the party ticket.

“I was called on November 12, 2016, at a house in Chandigarh. AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Durgesh Pathak told me that I was not campaigning properly. They told me to get Rs 1 crore deposited with them so that they could take care of my campaigning,” Kumar told the media here.

“I told them that AAP was fighting against corruption and our agenda was to campaign and contest polls without spending money. How can anyone, who contests elections by spending Rs 1 crore, be honest?” he said.

“When I questioned them, they told me to take Rs 30 lakh and give up my claim on the ticket for the Bhoa seat. I suspect that if they were demanding Rs 1 crore from me, they could have been offered Rs 2 crore by someone else to get me replaced as the AAP candidate,” Kumar pointed out.

Kumar said that Sanjay Singh made him speak to AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on the issue of giving Rs 1 crore. “Kejriwal told me to do as Singh has said. Singh and Pathak have spread corruption in AAP Punjab unit,” Kumar said.

He said he was forced to expose the corruption in Punjab AAP as he was being pressurised to pay up. “No official candidate of a party takes this step till there is something very serious,” he said.

The AAP has announced around 80 candidates for the 117 assembly seats. Elections in Punjab are likely to be held early next year.